resources

frequently Asked Questions

Read some of the most frequently asked questions in connection with website development - along with some short answers.

View Frequently Asked Questions.

useful links

Links to web resources relating to Australian Business, Web Standards and Web accessibility.

View Useful Links

frequently asked questions

The following are frequently asked questions about Web Design by Good Web Solutions' Clients - Click to Open / or Close.

What are the benefits of having a web site?

» your business will have a competitive edge
If you do not have a web site people but your competitors do, people will be visiting them. Now consider, with many businesses yet to get online, if you had a web site now you would have the competitive edge.

» it will provide an effective method of advertising
A web site works very successfully alongside conventional advertising media that you may already be using. Add your domain name to printed media; flyers, letterheads, business cards, signs and so on.

» a website will enhance your credibility
Many people now actually expect businesses to have a web site. When they hear about your business the first thing many people will do is to search on the Internet to find you. Unfortunately, if you do not have one they may stumble across one of your many competitors and forget all about you.

» your communication efforts will be enhanced
A web site can provide viewers with all of your contact details, including email addresses. Many people prefer to make contact via email, as it is quick, easy, cheap and convenient. Web sites can also have feedback forms and customer query forms. You could also invite people to sign up for a mailing list to receive updated information on your products and services.

» your business will be available around the clock
Information on the web can be accessed by current and potential customers 24 hours a day. Your web site will continue to work for you regardless of your business hours.

» our business will have a global audience
Your services will be available to local, national and international audiences, creating a much broader awareness of your business and potentially create a larger customer base.

» your business information can be easily updated
Unlike print based advertising mediums, the information on your web site can be quickly and easily updated to include changes to your products, services, special offers or contact details.

» your business can trade online
Your web site can act as an online brochure, putting your products and services where people can see them. People can find your products and contact you by email to make enquiries, and you can provide online order forms. You can even have an online shopping cart where the customer proceeds to a virtual checkout and pays by credit or debit card.

Request a Free Quote or call Good Web Solutions (08) 9071 3784 to discuss your needs.

What's the procedure to get my site online?

1. Free Consultation
2. Needs Analysis
3. Planning Stage
4. Graphic Collection
5. Prototype Presentation
6. Create Final Presentation
7. Testing & Completed Presentation

Read more detail about this web design process

Request a Free Quote or call Good Web Solutions (08) 9071 3784 to discuss your needs.

How much does a web site cost?

There are five basic costs to consider when establishing a professional website:

1. Domain Name Registration
2. Web Hosting Service
3. Web Design and Development
4. Internet Marketing (Optional)
5. Site Maintenance (Optional)

Domain Name Registration
To have an effective web site you are advised to register a domain name for your business. Top Level Domains (TDLs) with 3 or more characters (such as .Com) , can be registered by anyone, anywhere. Prices range from $13.00 - $99.00 AUD for a one year registration.

TLDs with country codes, such as, .AU, are designed to fulfil a specific purpose, and web users have to meet certain criteria in order to qualify to use a particular name. For example, to be able to register a .COM.AU, you must have a business registered with an Australian State Government.

Read requirements for all .au Second Level Domains.

Prices for .COM.AU range from $34.00 - $127.00 AUD for a two year registration. Shop around for best value deals that suit your site requirements.

Good Web Solutions can help you register a domain name. Call (08) 9071 3784 to discuss your needs.

Web Hosting
Web Hosting providers can range from your ISP to a bewildering array of specialist hosting providers. Basically you need to find a web hosting plan that can support the size and technology requirements of your web site.

Prices range from $37 to $1800 AUD per year, so it pays to shop around for best value deals that suit your site requirements.

Good Web Solutions can help you find a web host. Call (08) 9071 3784 to discuss your needs.

Web Design and Development
The total cost of your web site will depend on it's size and complexity, and you are paying the web site developer both for the time involved and the level of expertise required to get the job done.

Interested in discussing your project with Good web Solutions? Complete our Quote Form with as much information as you can about your site's requirements, or call (08) 9071 3784 to discuss your needs.

Internet Marketing (Optional)
Internet marketing covers search engine friendly web design, copy writing, search engine optimisation, search engine positioning and web promotion campaigns.

Good Web Solutions can incorporate basic, yet proven search engine optimisation techniques throughout the site development process, that improve search engine visibility and ranking.

These include keyword research, search engine friendly design, manual submission to major search engines and directories.

Call (08) 9071 3784 to discuss your Internet Marketing needs.

Site Maintenance (Optional)
Good Web Solutions offers one month of free support following the completion of a project. After this period, any updates required are priced on a competitive hourly rate.

Good Web Solutions can also provide site maintenance training in the use of Adobe Contribute, a user friendly Content Management Solution (CMS) program that will allow you to update and maintain your own site.

Call (08) 9071 3784 to discuss your site maintenance needs.

How long does it take to get my site online?

Web sites vary enormously in content and complexity. The time involved to create them and get them online is a reflection of this. For example, the implementation of certain interactive features are more time consuming than others, such as the configuration of Content Management Systems, Blogs and Interactive Forums.

It usually takes between 1- 2 weeks for a small brochure site with up to five pages to get online. Larger sites with advanced programming can take 6 weeks or more.

In contrast, Web Hosting and Domain Name Registration only take a few days to set up.

Interested in discussing your project ? Complete the Quote Form or call (08) 9071 378 to discuss your needs.

What do I need to supply for you to build a site?

Good Web Solutions will supply you with a Website Schedule that lists the necessary items. Examples include; written content for web pages, photos or graphics, company logo and printed materials, such as brochures.

Hot Tip: Considerable time (and money) can be saved by providing:

» All written text in a digital format
» Quality photographs or images in a digital format
» Your company logo in a digital format
» Brochures and other previous print advertising material

If your business does not have the time or the resources to provide the necessary content in a digital format, Good Web Solutions can assist you with the preparation.

Complete our Quote Form or call (08) 9071 378 to discuss your needs.

What's a Domain Name?

A Domain Name is the unique address that identifies your web site's location on the Internet. Business web sites are recommended to register a unique domain name. (Example: www.yourbusiness.com.au).

The advantages of this option include:
» creating a URL that presents a professional image
» having the ability to create a URL that is easily remembered
» removing the need to change URL, notify clients, search engines, and all print media where your URL appears, should you decide to change ISP

There are hundreds of Australian companies offering domain registration, and it pays to shop around as the prices vary considerably. For example, a .COM.AU name can cost you anything between $34.00 - $127.00 AUD for 2 years registration.

It is recommended to register your own domain name yourself and to always check whether the company that you have chosen is on the list of accredited registrars at the AuDA web site.

Contact Good Web Solutions or call (08) 9071 3784 if you need assistance with your businesses domain name registration.

What is Web Hosting?

A 'Web Host' is a company that leases space on their server (computer) to hold all your website files and display them on the Internet 24/7.

Web hosting requirements for any web site vary according to its size and also the technology used to create it.

Web Hosting companies usually specialise in catering for a particular niche in the market and different Internet technologies are offered from one company to the next.

The standard of Web Hosting Services varies greatly from one company to the next. The speed and reliability of service are crucial as is the level of customer support provided.

Good Web Solutions can assist with the selection and setup of the appropriate web hosting service.Call (08) 9071 3784 if you need assistance finding a suitable Web Hosting Service.

What about the maintenance of my new site?

There are maintenance tasks that need to be done throughout the life cycle of a web site, such as checking that links still work, and that site is being found by Search Engines.

Updating of site content is recommended to that ensure web users keep coming back.

Good Web offers standard maintenance, updates and Adobe Contribute training. Read more Site Maintenance

How can Web Standards benefit my business?

» faster loading pages
Its a proven fact that most web users abandon a web page that takes more than 10 seconds to load. Pages built using Web Standards tend to be smaller, with 25 to 50% less coding. This means pages load faster and you don't lose potential customers.

» increased accessibility to potential customers
Lost viewers means lost earning potential. Many web users actually find it difficult to access web sites simply because their needs have not been considered. Web Standards ensure that your site content is structured in a way that accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability, disability or type of browsing technology.

» reduced maintenance costs and dependence
Maintaining a web site can be very costly and Web Standards automatically reduce these costs in two areas:

1. Web Standards compliant web sites allow whole sets of HTML documents to be changed in one swoop by altering a single layout file. This saves time and money on the creation of your site and on any redesigns that may follow.

2. By using standard-compliant code, any maintenance by a different web developer, takes less time, and one is free from dependency on any one web developer.

» higher search engine rankings
The structure of a Web Standard Compliant website forces the information to markup ratio on web pages to increase. This causes Search Engines to find your web content more pertinent, with regard to your keyword search terms, and ranks the pages higher in the search results.

» future compatible
A very significant portion of web sites still use invalid HTML markup. Current browsers are often forgiving of these errors and display these sites correctly. However, as browsers continue to evolve they will become less forgiving of invalid markup and display pages not as intended.

Web Standards compliance will ensure that your web site will continue to function correctly in the future. They will also meet the requirements of a growing customer base who are now using PDA's, mobile phones and in-car web browsers to access the internet.

Complete the Quote Form or call (08) 9071 378 to discuss your needs.

What are Static and Dynamic Web sites?

Static and Dynamic are the two options when getting a website designed and developed. Your decision depends mainly on your business requirements.

A Static (or traditional) website uses a programming code, such as HTML or XHTML. Dynamic (database driven) web sites use programming languages, in addition to the layout code, to allow the flow of data in and out of the site and also make meaningful relationships with the data.

Simple comparison of Static and Dynamic Sites

	Static	Dynamic
Basic Cost	Lower	Higher
Time to Build	Shorter	Longer
Level of Complexity	Lower	Higher
Business Size	Small	Large
Frequency of Updates	Few	Frequent
Customer Interaction	No	Yes

Changes to Static web sites requires some coding knowledge. Dynamic web sites enable site owners to upload new information independently, through a password protected Content Management Systems, and requires no programming knowledge. .

Dynamic web sites enable site owners to upload new information independently, through a password protected Content Management Systems, and requires no programming knowledge.

Many factors determines the choice a business may make, however, cost need not be the limiting factor that it once was. Read more about Content Management Systems

What are Flash Sites?

Adobe Flash is technology that delivers low-bandwidth animations, presentations, and web sites. Web users tend to stay on Flash web sites for longer, and a good well designed Flash site can make a lasting impression.

Disadvantages of Flash.

1. Regular web sites load in sections, as you view a particular page or files. Flash sites loads in one chunk. So if you have a large site or movie, it can take a while to load, especially on a slow internet connections. The danger here being that your visitors will go elsewhere rather than wait.

2. Regular web sites are composed of multiple pages or files, each of which can be optimised for different search keywords. As Flash sites consist of only one file, the range of Search Engine Ranking possibility is severely limited.

If your business intends to use a Flash website, you will have to weigh up the pros and the cons against the advantages you hope to gain by having a website.

useful links

Australian Business Resources

Business.gov.au - Provides essential information on planning, starting and running your business.

Home Based Business Network - For those planning, starting, operating or growing your own Home Based Business.

The e-Business Guide - Australian Guide to doing Business Online

e-Com Entry Point - Small Business Development Corporation eCommerce Resource Centre.

 

Australian Web Development Resources

auDA Accredited Registrars - Authorised by the auDA to provide customer services to people who want to register a new domain name

Web Standards and Web Accessibility Resources

Guide to Minimum Web Site Standards - Australian Government Information

The Way Forward with Web Standards - The facts, myths and benefits

Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization - A business case for the implementation of Web Accessibility